by kgdjpubs » Fri Jun 13, 2008 5:46 am
everyone else has their view, here's mine...
Never Walk Away...yes, it's basically a mixture of Be Good to Yourself/It's Never Too Late/Believe in Me thrown in a blender, but unlike a lot of stuff the band has done, it sounds like Journey--even to the casual listener. Solid tune. Not the best, not the worst, but a good live song and perfect to start an album with. Any doubts of Arnel being able to front the band are dispelled quickly--he sounds really good. 8.75/10
Like a Sunshower....throwback to Rolie-era Journey, with the feel of Stay Awhile. The flow is pretty effortless, which is a good thing. Arnel once again impresses with some laid-back vocals that fit the song very well. The only issue I have is the ending, which feels like they ran out of ideas, so let's just put something on quickly and we'll fix it later....except they didn't. Too bad because the rest of the song was one of the strongest they have done in a while. 9.5/10 knocked down to 8.5/10 because of the ending.
Change for the Better....best correlation to earlier songs--Escape. Starts off with a very Sammy Hagar-era Van Halen riff, then a whole bunch of time changes as the song builds and twists its way around building to a monster chorus. Without the perfect arrangement, this song could be a mess (like a lot of the material on Red 13), but I think they have it nailed here. This should be a monster live. Sounds like Journey while still pushing the envelope a bit. 8/10
Wildest Dream...hard-driving uptempo rocker that could have come from the Arrival sessions. Not as tight as some of the other songs, and the chorus really needs a small retro-fit for some more impact, but this was born to be played live, and comes off much better in that environment than in the studio. Arnel's vocals are a lot more edgy here, and sound fine for the song, but the chameleon effect of his voice may not be a good thing as it dilutes his vocal identity. Nice ending as the band goes off into a hard rock jamming session. Only thing I hate are the effects on the vocal during the bridge. Never actually heard a song where this helps. Fortunately, the live version is straight-up singing without effects. 7/10 studio, but the live version's much better.
Faith in the Heartland...sounds like, ahh forget it! There will be endless debates as to whether this was needed, and whether it is better, worse or just different. I'll count myself in the 3rd category. The only major difference I hear is Kevin Shirley tightening up the instrumental part towards the end of the song. Left to their own devices (see Red 13), Journey's instrumental sections tend to wander around aimlessly, where they could pack a strong punch if tightened up a bit. Otherwise, strong song the 1st time around and nothing has changed. At least some people will get to hear it this time. 8/10
After All These Years...for many people, their first introduction to Arnel, the vocalist. To put it mildly, he owns this song and actually manages to perform it live even better. Probably Journey's best love ballad in a long time. I always thought When You Love a Woman was way too overblown sappy in the Dianne Warren "When I See You Smile" kind of way, and All the Way simply too contrived and didn't match the rest of the songwriting quality on Arrival. Some of the other ballads were really good, but none were in the Open Arms/Faithfully romantic wedding dance mode that has a chance of surviving on the radio. AATY sounds distinctly Journey and has a chance of becoming a monster hit if given half a chance. Sappy? yes, but I love the way it builds slowly before unleashing that monster chorus at the end, and the guitar melody is perfect. 9.5/10
Where Did I Lose Your Love....definitely harkening back to the pop Raised on Radio sound with an intro that sounds like Phil Collins' Easy Love is about to start up. Arnel delivers a very smooth vocal to guide the song to a nice chorus. Very good, but it's missing that little bit to send it over the top though. 7.5/10
What I Needed....Mother, Father for the 21st Century with a more subdued chorus. Quite possibly Arnel's best vocal on the cd, and he sounds downright amazing here and very soulful. You hear bits and pieces of this through, but he's putting it all on the line here, and it works. Lyrically, the strongest song on the cd, and there is a depth to this that will make it stand out. Journey's taking some chances here, but they usually do about one song like this on every cd (Livin To Do, The Time--although messy--, Walking Away from the Edge, Out of Harms Way). This gives the cd a bit of depth as opposed to "just another ballad". Nicely done. 9.7/10
What It Takes To Win....from the best--to the worst. An attempt at the Rocky-esque uplifting sports anthem that just sounds like they were trying too hard and missed the mark. Great performances by the band, but some very questionable lyric choices, and the energy in the song has simply had a hovercraft taken to it--which is NOT what you want for a song like this. Well, the idea was good.... 5/10
Turn Down the World Tonight....very movie/Broadway-like with a gentle piano melody and Arnel effortlessly gliding over the lyrics. A little different in style, but not a bad way to end, and the music fits the song extremely well. 8/10
The Journey (Revelation)...it's fine, but it takes a while to get going with the extended intro. Nothing great, nothing bad, but I'll probably skip it most of the time. Probably would have been more effective to cut the intro and blend it into the end of Turn... 7/10
Let It Take You Back....opening guitar riff is very reminiscent of Hardline's I'll Be There, which is a very underappreciated song. This is kinda Every Generation, part 2, but with a better singer and better melody. I'm not surprised they left if off to become the bonus track however. There's a good song in here somewhere however. Not the greatest, but enjoyable enough, and definitely better than WITTW. 6.5/10
...and it's it. Unlike Red 13 and Generations, this is a very cohesive effort that sounds like Journey. They are still a force to be reckoned with, but really need a producer to keep the band on the same page--otherwise you get the Generations effect of half a Journey album and half of something else with everyone going off in different directions. Kudos to Kevin Shirley for this one. Arnel's still a little raw, but a diamond in the rough, and will only improve as he becomes more comfortable and the band starts writing songs to suit his strengths.
As far as the production goes, I'd still live to have the guitars, bass and drums kicked up a little more for that raw edgy live feeling like Generations, but you can hear the money spent on recording the album and it sounds good for what it is. It's a little edgier than Arrival though and not quite as overproduced, so it's an acceptable balance.
As far as songwriting goes, this is probably the best overall of the post-Perry era, and better than Trial By Fire, despite some wonderful lyrics on that album. Journey is still dangerous when they are writing as a band and they sound very focused here. A little more lyrical depth like Trial By Fire and Red 13 would be nice, but then again, this IS Journey...so maybe that is asking too much. Sing-along, hook-laden songs are their forte, and they do it well, and still manage to include one or two lyrically-deeper songs on each cd to make it hold together and have some staying power. 10 songs is also good length for an album, as it is really hard to get 14 songs that are all in that really high-quality range without some falloff. Anyways, after an hour, most albums tend to drag a bit, so it's better just to pick the absolute best and let it be. The rock-to-ballad ratio is also about right, and some of the slower songs (Sunshower, What I Needed) aren't the slow plodding ballads you might expect them to be. Despite the guitars a little down in thie mix, it still sounds like a Journey rock album.
Bottom line...a welcome return to form after the wildly inconsistent Generations, the good but badly in need of a producer Red 13, and the great but too long Arrival. Now, let's see if WalMart can keep this thing going...
Steve says he's only read 3 reviews in his life. I can totally see that was the clincher piece. 
